


only a matter of time

by WishingTree



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Gen, Pre-Series, alex and kara are teenagers obviously, he seems like that kind of dad i don't know, headcanon that alex's watch used to be jeremiah's, i just have this idea that jeremiah was really big on hugs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-14
Updated: 2016-02-14
Packaged: 2018-05-20 08:51:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5999730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WishingTree/pseuds/WishingTree
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alex Danvers was polite, intelligent, kind and dependable. She had a strong moral compass, got along well with teachers and peers alike, was willing to do what she had to to protect what she cared about from the very beginning.<br/>However, when left to her own devices, she was almost always running late, mind too occupied to pay attention to how much time was passing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	only a matter of time

**Author's Note:**

> Based on the headcanon that Alex wears her dad's watch.  
>  
> 
> Set sometime within a year of Kara arriving with the Danvers'.  
> Also I figured that if there was a beach right next to their house then there’s probably a boardwalk around there somewhere too.

Alex looked up, shading her eyes with her hand. “We should probably be heading back, I think it’s almost dinner time.” She turned to Kara sitting contently in the sand. Letting her sunglasses fall back over her eyes, Alex held her hands out to the younger girl and wiggled her fingers. “Come on, I’ve let you play in the sand long enough.”

Kara glanced up at her from the half-completed sandcastle, pouting even as she reached for her obediently. “Can we come back tomorrow to watch the tide?” She let Alex pull her to her feet, not bothering to try dusting the sand off her legs.

“Sure, I think Mom and Dad said they’d have time to come too if you want.” Kara nodded enthusiastically, giving her sandcastle one last pat before they started moving back towards the house.

“Alex! I told you girls to be back in two hours, where have you been?” Eliza’s irritated voice was the first thing to greet them as they walked into the house. Kara’s shoulders shot up to her ears as her grip on Alex’s hand tightened, and Alex frowned.

“We were at the beach, exactly where we said we’d be.”

“We’re sorry we’re late. It’s my fault, Alex let me stay because I asked to.” The distressed look on Kara’s face worked better to placate the adults than anything Alex could have ever pulled out. “We almost finished a sandcastle?” Kara offered meekly.

Eliza’s expression softened and she sighed, waving a hand. “I’m glad you had a nice time at the beach. Now go wash up for dinner, girls, before you get sand everywhere.”

Alex looked down, feeling the sand sticking to her more than seeing it, then slid her gaze over to Kara. The younger girl was twisting the hem of her t-shirt in her hand, sand caked all over her from when she had been playing.

“You should go get first shower,” Alex told her, smiling, “I think you brought home half the beach with you.”

Kara looked startled for a moment, before she looked down at herself and giggled. She nodded and zoomed off towards the stairs, leaving Alex to go rinse her arms off in the sink, trying not to move too fast and knock the sand all over the floor.

Turning off the tap, she squared her shoulders and turned back to her parents, sensing that there was more to be said.

Sure enough, as soon as she was facing them, Eliza put her hands on the countertop. “I have told you time and time again, Alex, you need to take care of your sister.”

Alex only crossed her arms, waiting for her to continue.

“You have to be the responsible one. We are counting on you to protect her, and that means you can’t just let her wander around on the beach however she likes where anybody could find her.”

Alex scoffed. “You’re the one who said she needed a family. Sometimes it seems like you’d rather just lock her in a cage.”

“You know that’s not what I want,” Eliza told her crossly, and Alex deflated.

“I know, I know, Mom, I’m sorry.”

“But I do worry about her, and you can’t just stay out for hours with her after you said you’d be home.”

Alex looked taken aback. “It’s not like I meant to. Where am I supposed to check the time? The ocean?”

Jeremiah came over and put one of his hands over Eliza’s. “They were only at the beach. Building a sandcastle! Nice, safe, human fun.”

Eliza didn’t respond, and Alex shifted on her feet, now feeling the uncomfortable sensation of the sand stuck to her clothes. “I _was_ taking care of Kara, Mom,” she said lowly, “Never left her alone. And we were right there!” She pointed out the window, where a strip of the beach was visible in the distance. Rolling her shoulders, Alex sighed. “I am sorry we were late, and I will be more careful with the time.”

“Thank you,” Eliza said, sweeping her hands. “That’s all I ask.”

 

 

Alex raced past them down the stairs. “I’m going to the library, I just need to check something out!”

“You have half an hour before we leave for our dinner reservations,” Eliza called after her from where she was sitting at the table, “Don’t be late!”

Jeremiah lifted his hand and waved distractedly as he frowned at the papers spread in front of him, one pen between his teeth and another behind his ear.

“She is your daughter,” Eliza commented once they heard the door slam shut.

Jeremiah marked off one more passage in the notebook in front of him before setting his pen down. “Is she now,” he said with a smile, watching as Eliza came around the table to sit next to him. She leaned into his side as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

“She gets so caught up in whatever project she decides to research, lost in her head just like you.” Eliza reached up to take the pen from behind his ear.

Jeremiah only smiled proudly, squeezing his arm around her shoulders. “What can I say? She’s a smart girl, and she’s going to go on to do great things.”

Eliza huffed. “Not if her time management skills don’t get any better, she won’t. And it’s only gotten worse, she needs to be more responsible.”

“I know,” he ran his hand soothingly up and down her arm, “She knows it too. You know she wants to protect Kara just like us.”

“I know, but there is no room for mistakes here. She needs to take care of her sister.” Eliza turned her attention to the work he had spread all over the table. “What’s all this that’s got you so busy?”

“It’s the reports on the last data readings from the South American sector. Henshaw’s got me looking into them, and something isn’t adding up.” Eliza made a thoughtful noise and leaned forward to get a closer look with him, figuring it was as good a way to pass the time as any.

As the minutes ticked by and Eliza had checked her watch for the 4th time, Jeremiah put his pen down again, tilting his head. “I’ll drive by the library to get her, you go make sure Kara’s ready to leave?”

Eliza exhaled, pushing the chair away from the table and getting to her feet. “I’ll call the restaurant too, see if they can push the reservation back a bit.”

Jeremiah got up as well, pressing a quick kiss to her cheek before grabbing his keys and heading out the door.

 

Entering the library, he scanned the tables, knowing his daughter preferred the ones against the wall. He spotted her tucked away in a corner, focused on whatever she had spread around the table.

Approaching her, Jeremiah cleared his throat quietly, but Alex gave no reaction, too preoccupied with scanning one of the three books open in front of her. He softly tapped the table to get her attention, and Alex paused and looked up, cringing when she saw him.

“Has it been more than half an hour?” she whispered hesitantly, her fingers curling into fists on top of the pages.

Jeremiah only nodded, checking his watch and holding out his wrist for Alex to see the time. She hung her head and sighed before pushing herself up. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, and he acknowledged it with another nod.

“Do you want to take these out?” he asked her, lifting up the cover of the closest book to see what she had been reading.

Alex shook her head. “Those two are reference books, and my cards full.”

Jeremiah picked up the last book and shot her a grin. “Good thing I brought my library card then.” He tucked the book under his arm and waited for Alex to put her papers back in her bag, holding his arm out in invitation. She slung her bag over her shoulder and let him settle his arm around her.

“Thanks Dad,” she said quietly as they headed for the circulation desk.

“You’re still in trouble for being late again,” he told her as he smiled as he handed the book and his card over to the librarian.

Alex smiled wryly. “Yeah, I realized that.”

 

 

Taking Kara to see the boardwalk was a good idea, Alex decided, now that she had her super senses under control. She was nothing short of delighted by all the bustle around the booths and shops, the ocean creating a soothing backdrop as Alex walked calmly beside her.

“This place is so cool!” Kara bounced up and down giddily as she tried to see everything, not noticing her ice cream dripping down her hand until it was too late. She let out a yelp, leaning over so nothing would drip onto her clothes.

Laughing, Alex led them both over to the side to get out of the way of the constantly moving throngs of people. Kara quickly tried to eat what was left as Alex watched the spectacle with amusement, holding her own intact ice cream and leaning against the wooden railing.

“Okay, just remember we have to be home by 5, okay? Don’t get too excited, we don’t have time to do everything.”

Kara nodded with her brow furrowed, trying to get at the napkin wedged between her fingers. “What time is it anyways?”

Deciding her sister had struggled enough, Alex helped her move the remnants of her melted cone and successfully kept it from dripping on her, carefully wiping at the mess with her own napkin.

“Like 3:30 maybe? I dunno.”

Kara looked wistfully at the rest of Alex’s ice cream, and she readily handed it over, giggling at the way it made her eyes lit up. Kara pressed into herself into Alex’s side with glee, keeping both hands on the ice cream, and Alex stumbled a step before regaining her balance, putting a hand on Kara’s shoulder.

“The sun has begun its descent, if that helps,” Kara informed her offhandedly, not taking her eyes off her new ice cream as she tilted her head and held it aloft, trying to pick the best side to start. She hummed happily, pleased when she got a mouthful of ice cream.

Alex smiled at her indulgently, before she blinked. “Wait, you know when the sun starts to set?”

“Hm?” Kara looked up at her, licking her lips and completely missing the ice cream on her chin. “Oh yeah, I can feel it,” she waved vaguely up at the sky, and Alex nodded contemplatively.

“That’s pretty cool.” Throwing away the sticky napkins in the nearest trash can, Alex craned her neck around, trying to catch a glimpse of a clock. Seeing the time displayed above the lifeguard tower on the beach, her eyes widened. “Oh my god, Kara,” she said urgently, spinning around to see if there was another clock visible on the boardwalk. Kara made a questioning noise, focused on not letting this ice cream melt. “Kara it’s a quarter to 5, we have to go. We’re going to be late!”

Grabbing Kara’s arm, she started dragging her through the crowds of people and Kara let out a squeak, trying to keep the ice cream balanced before just cramming the whole thing into her mouth.

Once they cleared the main area of the boardwalk, Alex started running, holding a hand out to Kara and pulling her closer, “No powers, but we gotta move!” Alex knew that no matter how late they wound up being, the trouble would be infinitely worse if Alex let her fly.

Kara nodded, concentrating on matching Alex’s pace and keeping her feet on the ground as they sprinted down the sidewalk.

“Ugh, I can’t believe I lost track of time _again_.” Kara made a concerned face at hearing Alex’s angry tone of voice. “Don’t worry,” Alex said when she noticed. “It was my fault, you won’t get in any trouble.” Kara nodded uncertainly, and they ran the rest of the way home.

 

 

Alex settled herself against the wall and balanced her textbook on her knee, getting to work on her biology assignment. If she finished it in 20 minutes, she could leave the heavy book in her locker and wouldn’t have to bring it home for the weekend.

Time passed unnoticed as she immersed herself in her work, pen flying over the page as she hurried to get all the information down. Some time later, the chatter of students approaching from down the hall distracted her, and Alex froze. That meant that the after-school clubs were over, which also meant that she had been there for over an hour.

She swore under her breath, haphazardly shoving everything into her backpack and stuffing her arms into her jacket. Hastily checking around to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything, she pulled her backpack straps over her shoulders and set off at a sprint.

She slammed through the doors of the school, ignoring the startled looks she got from other students as she ran down the sidewalk, turning the corner just in time to see the bus disappearing.

“Damn it,” she said, breathing heavily and putting her hands on her forehead. “Missed the bus.” She huffed, slowly going to lean against the stop sign on the corner. “I’m in for it now.”

 

The look Eliza leveled her with as soon as she stepped into the room screamed disappointment.

“I’m sorry,” Alex mumbled, shuffling her feet and looking away, her hands clutching the straps of her backpack. “I just lost track of time.”

Eliza sighed and turned away, wiping her hands on the towel as she walked back to the kitchen.

Alex didn’t bother to watch her go, putting her bag on the floor and dropping onto the couch, letting her head fall against the back as she stared at the ceiling.

“Your daughter came home late, _again_ , Jeremiah,” she could hear her mom saying in the kitchen. Alex squeezed her eyes shut, pressing her hands over her face and turned onto her side, burrowing into the couch.

Jeremiah appeared in the doorway, arms crossed and looking bemused. “Late again, huh?” he asked, approaching Alex on the couch. She hung her head, not answering as he lowered himself onto the couch next to her. He put his hand on her back, trying to coax her into looking at him.

“I don’t mean to,” Alex muttered crossly, “I just keep forgetting to find a clock and check the time.”

Her dad smiled at her comfortingly, moving to give her room as she sat up. “I figured that was it, but you know how your mom just gets stressed when things run behind schedule.” Alex only sighed, pulling her feet up and sitting cross-legged on the couch cushions.

They sat in silence for a few moments. “Here,” he said finally, undoing the strap of his watch. He gestured for Alex to hold out her hand, and when she extended her right wrist, so small compared to his, he fastened his watch around it. Even at the smallest hole, the watch slipped around so the face was lying against the inside of her wrist, facing the floor.

“Now you’ll always know the time.”

Alex looked at it wonderingly, bringing up her other hand to play with the strap. “Really?” she asked eagerly, “But this is yours.”

He nodded, smiling fondly at her. “And now it’s yours, if you want it. This way you’ll always have the time on you.”

Her eyes were wide as she looked at him, and when he didn’t take it back she beamed, wrapping her arms around his waist and hugging him tightly, her face pressed against his chest. He rumbled a laugh, hugging her back.

“Alright bud, go upstairs and get your sister. We’re eating in front of the TV tonight so we can watch the newest episode of Gilmore Girls before I leave.” He ruffled her hair, smiling as she squealed and ducked to get away from his hand. “Keep that safe for me, alright?” He tapped the watch. “We’ll go buy you a new one that fits properly when I get back from Peru.”

Alex hopped to her feet, twisting her wrist and examining her new watch. "Thanks Dad." She hugged him tightly once more, and he combed his fingers through her long hair.

"We'll see how this works out then, yeah?" She nodded enthusiastically in response and headed for the stairs, pressing her fingertips to the watch face and feeling the steady ticking of the second hand.

**Author's Note:**

> I was trying to think of tv shows from around 2003, after Kara got there and while Jeremiah was still alive. Gilmore Girls was what I came up with. Mostly light and fluffy, enjoyable, get Kara accustomed to pop culture references, that's basically all I got. Meh.


End file.
